Robert Lettenbichler Managing Director explained “our in-house developed sophisticated air-drying systems are the heart of our production process. We cannot afford downtime or excessive amounts of maintenance. Our initial systems were based upon conventional mechanical steam trap technology. We were initially sceptical of the venturi steam trap operation.”

Following a meeting with EBE Engineering, a trial was run on one of the air-drying systems. Since that meeting, the continued expansion of Steinicke necessitated more air-drying systems. The newer air dryers however were fitted with conventional mechanical steam traps. Production increased but it became evident that the reliability of the mechanical steam traps was not at an acceptable level.

In 2017 EBE Engineering launched the new ECOFLOW Venturi steam trap – a truly unique solution to steam trapping problems. Nigel Egginton Managing Director of EBE Engineering: “We presented the details of the new trap to Steinicke and based upon the trial it became obvious that the long term solution for production continuity and reliability was a complete change to the Venturi steam trap technology”.

The ECOFLOW Venturi steam traps work by using the difference in density between steam and condensate. Steam is 1000 times less dense than condensate, so at the entrance of the trap’s orifice, the low-density steam is literally squeezed out of the condensate. The high density, slow moving condensate is then preferentially discharged through the orifice, trapping the low-density steam behind it.

Steinicke continue to innovate their production processes to meet the rigorous demands of the developing market. The future looks bright and through the continuous operation of the ECOFLOW venturi orifice traps, no moving parts and no wear parts, sustainability and reliability can be assured.